Air ambulance base opens

Stephen Curran

Thursday, June 20, 2002 | 9:11 a.m.

The opening of an air ambulance base in North Las Vegas Tuesday puts life-saving technology three minutes closer to residents on the north side of town.

That may not seem like much, but in critical situations the first 60 minutes after a trauma can mean the difference between life and death or recovery and disability, rescuers say.

"If you have the ability to transfer patients faster, it's better," Mercy Air President David Dolstein said.

Mercy Air opened the new base at 4511 W. Cheyenne Ave. on Tuesday to provide faster response to an area left uncovered since the company bought competitor Flight for Life in December and closed its Valley Hospital base.

The new base balances Mercy Air's other bases in Boulder City, Henderson and Pahrump, the closest of which was about a three-minute flight from North Las Vegas.

Ambulance sites, both air and ground, are usually positioned in a triangular pattern, with each unit covering a 150-mile radius, according to Mercy Air.

The new base also gives the air ambulance service a presence in the fast-growing northwest and allows the company to respond to remote areas not immediately accessible by ground transport, Rick Plummer, spokesman for University Medical Center said.

"It's condusive to have rescue" copters in peripheral areas," Plummer said. "Anything that can get them to the trauma center faster is a good thing."

The choice to move to North Las Vegas reflects the growth patterns of the Las Vegas Valley, Plummer said.

"It was a decision with a lot of foresight," he said.

Mercy Air, now the sole provider of air ambulance service in Southern Nevada, provides transportation for critically ill patients from referring hospitals and on-the-scene accidents. The Fontana, Calif.-based company operates 13 aircraft at 12 bases throughout Southern California and Nevada.

At its height Flight for Life operated five helicopters in the Las Vegas area. While his company will operate fewer aircraft, Dolstein says that the company has an advantage in service.

An independent provider, Mercy Air is does not align itself with a particular hospital, allowing patients to be transported to the best hospital for their needs, Dolstein said.

There are no immediate plans to acquire more aircraft but the Henderson base will allow for expansion, which Griffiths said is inevitable.

"When the volume warrants a fourth helicopter, which I'm sure it will, we'll buy one," he said.